LINDA LIUKAS

ADVISOR

Linda is a Finnish computer programmer, children’s book writer and programming instructor. In 2014, her “Hello Ruby” coding book for children raised $380,000 on Kickstarter, becoming the platform’s most highly-funded children’s book. Her book is the world’s most whimsical way to learn about technology, computing and coding. It is a story about a little girl with a big imagination who knows even the biggest problems are just small problems stuck together. The kids get to go on an adventure with Ruby and her friends – all while learning the basics of computational thinking through stories and exercises.

Linda co-founded Rails Girls, a site designed to help women learn basic programming. Thanks to her involvement, the approach has become a worldwide success, leading to workshops in over 160 cities. Liukas also works with the online training platform Codecademy which provides courses free of charge. In 2013, the European Commission gave Linda Liukas the title of “Digital Champion of Finland”. Watch her TED Talk.